Dentists can most conveniently work on patient's teeth with the patient in a reclining or semi-reclining position. As such, most dentists have patient chairs suitably designed for conveniently and comfortably placing the patient in this position. In addition, dental work commonly involves the use of a myriad of equipment, appliances, pads and other supplies, and it can be helpful to have these items located in a convenient place near the patient's head where they can be reached easily and quickly.
Attempts at additions to dental chairs to hold such equipment in a convenient place have been made. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,281,136 to Giannella et al. discloses a support and guide apparatus for a dental drill. This support and guide apparatus comprises an articulated arm, which can be attached to a fixed support member and provided with an attachment member for a tail of the drill. The arm is provided with a device that acts to maintain the axis of rotation of the drill orthogonal to a working plane and a counterweight that balances the weight of the movable parts. The apparatus further includes a stabilization apparatus for the head and jaw comprising a side bracket lockable with respect to the headrest of a dental chair, which carries a transverse element projecting therefrom to maintain the patient's jaw in the open position.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,195,219 to Irwin et al. discloses a system for adapting a dental chair for use, including, for example, use from the right side or left side, use by right-handed or left-handed practitioners, and use in various dentistry practice styles. The system includes a link arm, a primary arm, and a secondary arm. The secondary arm has multiple pivotably connected segments allowing its distal end to be positioned as desired.
These structures, however, may not be easily attachable to a dental chair. In addition, these structures may not provide the desired amount of adjustment of where dental tools are held. As such, further advances are desired.